International Read an eBook Day
Today, you don’t have to go to the library to get acquainted with hundreds of bestsellers and volumes of classics of world literature
Thanks to the eBook, people enjoy reading on the go, on vacation by the sea and while sitting at home To do this, it is enough to have a gadget that provides access to books in electronic format A holiday was invented to promote reading using digital devices September 18th is International Electronic Book Day
Its establishment was initiated by the US company OverDrive, which since 1986 has been distributing digital video and music content, scientific, journalistic and artistic works Having an eBook or tablet with a downloaded text file at hand greatly simplifies life and allows you to save on purchasing new products in paper form The small gadget holds thousands of books and audio recordings, a calendar and voice recorder, notes and much more
The prototype of the digital book is considered to be The readies by Bob Brown In 1930, an American writer and inventor came up with the idea of using an electronic information medium for reading in the form of a paper tape on which text was applied and a magnifying lens The first eBook prototype did not gain much popularity, but remained forever in history
The electronic book in the modern sense was invented in 1971 by Michael S Hart, who, after graduating from the University of Illinois, decided to download the iconic “Declaration of Independence” onto his computer To digitize a historical document for every American, the most powerful Xerox Sigma V that existed at that time was used The file size turned out to be quite large - it occupied 5 kilobytes of memory
M Hart was confident that in the future personal computers would become available to everyone Therefore, I made it my life’s goal to digitize 10 thousand of the most famous and iconic works of world literature The young man’s initiative was taken up by other supporters of modern technology Until 1989, all digital books were typed by hand; later, text recognition programs and scanners began to be used
By 2010, the first electronic library, named Project Gutenberg by Hart in honor of the famous German pioneer printer, consisted of 32 thousand books The collection continues to grow and remains popular despite everything Today, the Project Gutenberg-tm library, growing by 340 items each year, has more than 60,000 electronic books available completely free of charge
Folios printed on paper provide not only intellectual, but also aesthetic pleasure Conservative book lovers are wary and reluctant to purchase an eBook In their understanding, nothing can compare with the beauty of the binding of printed publications, the indescribable aroma of paper, which gives a pleasant tactile sensation, and bright illustrations that delight the eye But progress, which brings comfort and convenience to life, does not stand still, so many readers buy gadgets where they download new items and classics in digital format
Fans of e-books first celebrated International Read an eBook Day in 2014 The holiday is dedicated to the popularization of reading - a source of knowledge necessary for the spiritual and mental development of an individual This process today, just like thousands of years ago when people enjoyed paper tomes, remains fascinating and interesting thanks to e-books